Actress and comedian Wendi McLendon-Covey’s career began in 2003 when she starred in Comedy Central’s Reno 911! as Deputy Clementine Johnson, but it was McLendon-Covey’s unforgettable role in Bridesmaids (alongside Kristin Wiig and Maya Rudolf) that initiated her rise. McLendon-Covey now stars as Beverly Goldberg in ABC’s The Goldbergs, resulting in two Critics’ Choice Television Award nominations for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.

Below are Wendi McLendon-Covey’s favorite books, available to purchase individually or as a set.

Patti Smith

There’s not really a road map for becoming an artist other than the following: get up off your ass every day and make an effort; don’t be afraid to try and fail, and don’t wait for permission to get started; if you don’t have money, get creative with materials that you find or make; believe without a doubt that you were meant for something more, and that no one else can say something the way you can. If you’re fascinated (like I am) by the New York artist scene in the 60s and 70s, and how the AIDS epidemic in the 80s swept through and took its toll, “Just Kids” will blow your mind.

Pat Cleveland

This is about the incredible life of a creative free spirit who followed her dreams and set in motion a fashion career that’s lasted five decades and counting. This memoir is dishy without being vindictive, and inspirational without being preachy.

Haven Kimmel

This book is so important to me because of the way Kimmel puts into words how a happy, funny kid can still sense that there’s something wrong with all the adults around her. Haven Kimmel had a happy childhood in a small town, but her house was filled with the kind of tensions that children sense but can’t articulate.

Patti Smith

“M Train” will take you in and out of dreamscapes and reality and remembrances with prose so spare and matter of fact that it delivers a much bigger emotional punch. Patti Smith doesn’t need to embellish; she just tells her stories…and her stories are incredible.

John Kennedy Tool

The main character of this novel is an adult man who lives with his mother, and who fancies himself too intelligent to participate in mainstream society or to hold down a normal job. Don’t we all have relatives like this? Well, I do!

Haven Kimmel

“She Got Up off the Couch” is the follow-up story to “A Girl Named Zippy,” describing how Kimmel’s mother literally got up off the couch, enrolled herself in college, and made a better life for herself after her husband left. Proof that you’re never too old to start over, and how important it is for your children to see you pull yourself up.

Elaine Sciolino

Sciolino gives us an inside view of how seduction works in all areas of French life, from advertising to politics to interpersonal relationships. “La Seduction” at its core is just a way to appeal to someone by finding common ground, and no one does that like the French! And in my opinion, it’s so much more interesting than the brow-beating we resort to here in the USA.

Debra Ollivier

I read this whenever I feel like a slob (read: I’ve re-read it many times). There’s nothing wrong with a little self-possession, there’s beauty in taking time for yourself just because you feel like it, and there’s nothing wrong with NOT divulging every secret! Be like a French girl and cultivate your own “secret garden!”

David Sedaris

I’m a big fan of David Sedaris; I love all his books and have them all on audio and e-reader, in addition to hard copies. But I love this particular book the most because it gives us the backstory on what he was going through personally while he was collecting material for some of his most popular stories, like “Santa Land Diaries.” He also records bits of eavesdropped conversations and bizarre anecdotes…if you’re a Sedaris fan, you won’t be disappointed.

Jeff Giles

I normally wouldn’t find myself reading a Young Adult novel, but when something is as suspenseful and well written as this one, why not? The story is about a 17-year-old girl named Zoe who’s still in shock from a year’s worth of traumatic events. She gets involved with someone she’s not supposed to, and it makes her question whether she should or shouldn’t take a gamble on what might be perfect love. I’m sure they’ll make a movie about this eventually, but read the book first!

Most Popular Shelves

VISIT OUR BOOKSHOP

Newsletter

First Name

Last Name

Email address:

Leave this field empty if you're human:

Grand lists is a curated arts site specializing in books and movies selected by 100 public figures and celebrities, ranging from designers, musicians, artists, actors, performers and directors, to politicians, novelists, scientists and athletes.